"Angels" are not only a concept in religious systems, but also one of the foundations of magic, and they themselves represent mystery. Even if they are dead objects such as sculptures and murals, even if they have no magic power, a large number of angel elements gathered together have the power to shock people.
If you haven't received targeted training, you will fall into a state of respiratory disorder or even suffocation the moment you step into the hall. This is what happened to Gray. She felt that the air in the whole room was sticky liquid and she was the one drowning.
Fortunately, at this moment, the breathing method that she had been practicing on the way here started to work automatically, relieving the pressure on Gray.
Noticing Gray's breathing gradually calming down, Shinji nodded secretly: "Quick reaction, but the direction is wrong. To deal with mental stress, meditation is more suitable than breathing method - look at Miss Rosalind."
Gray turned her head and found that Rosalind was not in the same predicament of breathing disorder as herself, and she couldn't help feeling annoyed.
"Why am I so stupid..."
"You're not stupid." Shinji shook his head at the girl. "You just took in too much in a short period of time, and your brain can't process it fast enough. You'll get used to it if you spend more time."
When Shinji and Gray were observing the Istari siblings, the other side was also observing them. Heine asked:
"What are you two doing?"
"Complete the assignments assigned by the professor. Miss Grey's physique is rather special and not suitable for traditional magician teaching, so the professor found a set of ancient breathing methods specifically for Grey."
"I see." Heine praised from the bottom of his heart, "Professor Velvet is really dedicated to teaching his students, and your hard work is admirable - Rosalind, you need to learn more."
"Yes, brother." The girl nodded vigorously.
"... Oh, the 'commoner lord' didn't come in person."
There are spiral staircases on both sides of the hall. An old voice came from one of them, along with a "creaking" sound of metal friction.
It was a wheelchair, and sitting in it was an old man with white hair. Pushing the wheelchair from behind was a young man who looked like an assistant.
The wrinkles on the old man's body were stacked one after another, and he looked more like a mummy than a magician. He was conservatively estimated to be over 80 years old. All ten of his fingers, which looked like dead trees, were adorned with rings, and the gorgeous colors made the old man's aura, which was precipitated by time, even more profound.
A true magician who is almost comparable to the one in this stripped city—a creature that is still human on the surface but has already become something other than human on the inside—let out a low laugh.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo. Hoo, hoo. He has some self-awareness. He should stay in the classroom and teach instead of going to my old friend Grivin's castle to seek something that doesn't belong to him."
"Who is this?" Gray's voice revealed a rare hint of dissatisfaction. Although she already knew that her teacher had no talent in magic, it was still hard to accept being told so in person.
"Orlok Sisamond, the elder of Papilio Magia, has considerable influence within the Clock Tower. He is said to be an old friend of the castle's owner, and the two often discuss and research magic together."
Shinji looked at the old man with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Butterfly magic" sounded like it was related to "bug magic", and it was an evolved and upgraded version. He really wanted to know if the old man's "butterfly magic" could make the ugly magic developed by Matou Zouken complete its transformation and truly break out of the cocoon and become a butterfly.
The old man ignored Shinji's gaze and just fumbled with the handrail while winking behind him.
"The only thing he has a good eye for is his ability to select students - let me introduce him to you."
Then, a young man in strange clothes rushed towards Grey and Rosalind.
"—Oh, there's a beauty here!"
He was about the same age as Heine, wearing a pure white linen cassock, a fist-sized conch shell hanging around his neck, an eye patch on his right eye, and a small polygonal box tied to his head. He greeted the girls energetically in English with a heavy accent.
"I am the practicing monk Jirobo Seigen. Please take care of me."
Gray was not used to dealing with this kind of person, and looked at Shinji for help, and Shinji immediately took a step forward.
"It's rare to see a Shugendo monk here."
"You are very knowledgeable. You even know about some of the lesser-known schools in Japan."
"My name is Shen Zhong, I am from China, and I once practiced in Tiantai Sect with my hair untied."
Shinji put his hands together, and the other person did the same and responded with a Buddhist salute.
"It turns out he is a practicing monk from China."
"Although I heard that monks of certain sects in Japan are not averse to women, it seems that your Shugendo sect is not among them."
"It's not that we don't reject it, it's that we consider women taboo. However, belief and personal preference are two different things. There's no need to be so rigid in following the rules when we're in a foreign country. So, you two, can you be friends with me?"
Qingxuan took a step forward with a smile, trying to go around Shinji, but Shinji calmly took a step to the side and blocked his way.
"So he is a monk who broke his vows."
"You're exaggerating, little brother."
"Since you have entered Buddhism, you should abide by the rules and regulations."
"That way of speaking is just as annoying as those old guys."
Qingxuan suddenly jumped up as he spoke, his body almost ignoring gravity, and passed over Shinji's head lightly. From the perspective of magic, it is a kind of mobile magic, and in Shugendo it is called the flying crow or the flying slash of the tengu, which is a kind of "test power".
"There is the Supreme Hua Wuliang, who casts Huaguang, the master of heaven and earth."
Shinji kept his hands clasped together, and a solemn golden light emanated from his body. When Qingxuan, who was in mid-air, touched the light, it was as if he had hit an invisible wall and fell straight down.
"Woooaaaaaah! Pain, pain, pain, pain - I surrender, I surrender. I'm just saying, I will obey the rules, I will obey the rules."
Seeing Qingxuan raising his hands awkwardly, Shinji dispersed the "Divine Thunder Barrier" and was about to say something when he suddenly turned his head to look at the door behind him.
There was a man crouching by the door, peering out, a man who didn't fit in with the castle at all. His wildly growing beard looked as if he hadn't been groomed for months, and his dirty, nomadic loose clothing couldn't hide his muscular body. He was only a little taller than Heine, but twice as big as him.
Seeing this person, Heine's expression immediately darkened, and his voice became a little more sharp.
"I didn't expect him to be here too, the 'Master Killer' among the magicians, the astrologer Friuga."
"No, it's not just him."
Shinji looked past the open door and toward the door further away.
"So I'm the last one."
Accompanied by an elegant and gorgeous voice, a beautiful figure walked into the hall.